Follow The Leader

Before I begin my article here is a blog I like. http://abraxanminis.blogspot.com/2008/06/aridzona-jean-and-garden-of-doom.html

Last week my herd of horses decided they knew exactly what was going on and would just go line up at a gate before I got there.

Cute. But this is how you can get in real trouble without realizing it. It seems convenient to have them ready to go out, but it also means they are not "following" you as their leader. This means in short order you can lose control of the herd and suddenly you are the omega and being bossed around. A very dangerous state of affairs for a human.

To prevent this I began by walking towards another gate. They watched for a few seconds then rushed over there. I changed course for another gate and they zipped over there. It took four changes before they gave up and started following me. One horse didn't give up until I'd changed directions seven times. Finally he gave up and fell in line with the rest of them. I led the herd through a complicated pattern for a few minutes before I went to a gate and allowed them to go out to pasture.

Several years ago I got in trouble by ignoring just such a subtle sign at feeding time. My daughter's Arabian mare began by putting her ears back as I approached her stall to put feed in her feed tub. I was in a hurry most times and ignored the behavior. It escalated until one day I realized she was actually starting to charge when I approached. This is extremely dangerous behavior in a horse (or any animal you are dealing with) and I had to work for several weeks to cure the problem I'd allowed to develop.

Lazy Trainer Tip

Pay attention to subtle signs that you are being challenged as leader and take immediate steps to re-establish your position. If you do this right at the beginning it can be as simple as walking around a pen until they fall into line behind you.